Twice a week for a month, they show up to study for a learner's permit in a course at the Lod Absorption Center. "This is truly amazing," said Avi Bitou, director of the Lod's absorption programs. "Most of these immigrants come from the most remote rural areas of Ethiopia where there were virtually no cars. And if there were one or two, they were only for the rich. They never imagined in their wildest dreams that one day they would be learning to drive. Yet here they are studying theory as a first step towards their driving licenses."
Bitou, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia 24 years ago, started the course following repeated requests from Ethiopian immigrants living in Lod. "Many in the community speak Hebrew but have trouble with the written language," Bitou said. "They want to be tested orally for the theory exam. But to do that, they have to go to court and declare they cannot take the written exam. This is too complicated. So they asked me if it was possible to arrange a course to learn driving theory at whose conclusion they could be tested orally."
Bitou put together the course in cooperation with the Motor Vehicle Department and the Lod Absorption Center. He hired Amos Reuven, a veteran Israeli driving teacher, and started in March 2004. The eight-session course lasts one month and the cost, which includes the exam fee, is subsidized by almost half the price.
But even Bitou was not prepared for the response. "I thought I would get 30 participants," he relates. "Nearly 60 showed up for the first course. They included an equal number of men and women, and even two students 65 years plus."
The second course drew 80 students. And the third course has 74. Eighty students have already passed the exam and Bitou hopes to have some 200 pass by the end of 2004.
"I was surprised to find so many women and older students," says Reuven. "They are very serious about learning the material. And they have a very high rate of passing the oral examination."
It is hard for an outsider to understand the importance of the learner's permit to these immigrants. "A driving license opens up a whole new world for them – both in terms of jobs and personal independence. For many, it means they can have a profession and not have to do menial labor. I cannot describe the joy when they pass. It is like a holiday. There are hugs and kisses and friends and family call to congratulate. Attaining a learner's permit gives them self-confidence and a sense of achievement. It also confers status."
Following receipt of the learner's permit, each student must pay for driving lessons. There is no subsidy available. Israeli law requires a minimum of 28 lessons in order to take the driving test.
Waretou Balata, 24, has been in Israel for four years. Married with two young children, he works stocking shelves in supermarkets. He sees the driving course as opening a window of opportunity for him. "I want to raise my children right," Balata says. "To do this, I need a good job to provide for them. I hope that this course will lead to a job as a bus driver, a forklift operator or a tractor driver."
Even though Hila Sama'in reads and writes Hebrew and could take a written exam, she nevertheless decided to enroll in the course. Sama'in, married and a mother of two, has been in Israel for 20 years. Every day, she travels by bus from Lod to her job as a secretary in the Knesset in Jerusalem.
"I always wanted a driver's license," she explains. "I tried on my own but with work and the children, I never could find the time. Here, I have a framework and I have to keep up with the class. I am looking forward to the day I can drive to work and I don't have to wait for buses anymore."
Bitou, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia 24 years ago, started the course following repeated requests from Ethiopian immigrants living in Lod. "Many in the community speak Hebrew but have trouble with the written language," Bitou said. "They want to be tested orally for the theory exam. But to do that, they have to go to court and declare they cannot take the written exam. This is too complicated. So they asked me if it was possible to arrange a course to learn driving theory at whose conclusion they could be tested orally."
Bitou put together the course in cooperation with the Motor Vehicle Department and the Lod Absorption Center. He hired Amos Reuven, a veteran Israeli driving teacher, and started in March 2004. The eight-session course lasts one month and the cost, which includes the exam fee, is subsidized by almost half the price.
But even Bitou was not prepared for the response. "I thought I would get 30 participants," he relates. "Nearly 60 showed up for the first course. They included an equal number of men and women, and even two students 65 years plus."
The second course drew 80 students. And the third course has 74. Eighty students have already passed the exam and Bitou hopes to have some 200 pass by the end of 2004.
"I was surprised to find so many women and older students," says Reuven. "They are very serious about learning the material. And they have a very high rate of passing the oral examination."
It is hard for an outsider to understand the importance of the learner's permit to these immigrants. "A driving license opens up a whole new world for them – both in terms of jobs and personal independence. For many, it means they can have a profession and not have to do menial labor. I cannot describe the joy when they pass. It is like a holiday. There are hugs and kisses and friends and family call to congratulate. Attaining a learner's permit gives them self-confidence and a sense of achievement. It also confers status."
Following receipt of the learner's permit, each student must pay for driving lessons. There is no subsidy available. Israeli law requires a minimum of 28 lessons in order to take the driving test.
Waretou Balata, 24, has been in Israel for four years. Married with two young children, he works stocking shelves in supermarkets. He sees the driving course as opening a window of opportunity for him. "I want to raise my children right," Balata says. "To do this, I need a good job to provide for them. I hope that this course will lead to a job as a bus driver, a forklift operator or a tractor driver."
Even though Hila Sama'in reads and writes Hebrew and could take a written exam, she nevertheless decided to enroll in the course. Sama'in, married and a mother of two, has been in Israel for 20 years. Every day, she travels by bus from Lod to her job as a secretary in the Knesset in Jerusalem.
"I always wanted a driver's license," she explains. "I tried on my own but with work and the children, I never could find the time. Here, I have a framework and I have to keep up with the class. I am looking forward to the day I can drive to work and I don't have to wait for buses anymore."